We had technical difficulties on the previous recording so this is a NEW recording and the full episode.

Most BJJ academy owners burn out somewhere between year 3 and year 7. Not because the jiu jitsu is hard — because the people part is. The communication, the boundary-setting, losing core members, staying in one piece, knowing who to let through the door.

Heads up: this is a shorter episode — we ran into some technical difficulties partway through the recording, but the conversation was too good to shelve.

In this episode of The Business of Jiu Jitsu, JP Levesque sits down with his own professor, CJ Hollett, who just crossed the 10-year mark running his BJJ academy. CJ breaks down what actually keeps an academy owner in the game a decade in, how jiu jitsu training methodology has evolved over the past 10 years (and where the "let them work" mentality came from), how to coach white belts and women so they don't quit, and the #1 attribute every great BJJ coach needs.

The conversation also gets into the personality side of running an academy — why some people probably shouldn't be coaches at all, why patience and communication matter more than technique when it comes to retention, what CJ would tell himself 10 years ago about losing core members, how to pick your rolls and keep your body in one piece as an owner on the mat every day, and the red flags students should watch for when picking a jiu jitsu academy.

If you run a BJJ academy, are thinking about opening one, or want an honest look at what a full decade of academy ownership actually feels like — this one's for you.

JP Levesque is the founder of Grow Jitsu. He helps BJJ academy owners clean up their business model, student journey, and simple owner-run marketing so they can grow past the 80–150 student ceiling without selling out the art or burning out.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro: 10 years in the game with CJ Hollett

01:00 – What keeps you going a decade later

02:30 – How jiu jitsu training has evolved

04:30 – The rise of the "let them work" mentality

05:55 – Coaching white belts so they don't quit

08:20 – The #1 attribute of a great coach

10:20 – Why some people shouldn't be coaches at all

11:50 – Proudest moments after 10 years of ownership

12:40 – How to keep your body in one piece as an owner

15:00 – Red flags in an academy

17:20 – Green flags of a good academy

19:00 – What CJ would tell himself 10 years ago

21:30 – Why losing a core member never stops hurting

22:30 – Advice for anyone opening an academy today

25:00 – Who actually sticks with it long-term

28:00 – Belt promotions and how to structure them

34:30 – Teaching structure: curriculum vs. organic

37:00 – Merch, gis, and not forcing students to buy yours

39:00 – How to make a new student feel like part of the team

Want help applying this to your academy? Book a free BJJ Growth Plan Call: https://growjitsu.com/call

Most BJJ academy owners burn out somewhere between year 3 and year 7. Not because the jiu jitsu is hard — because the people part is. The communication, the boundary-setting, losing core members, staying in one piece, knowing who to let through the door.

Heads up: this is a shorter episode — we ran into some technical difficulties partway through the recording, but the conversation was too good to shelve.

In this episode of The Business of Jiu Jitsu, JP Levesque sits down with his own professor, CJ Hollett, who just crossed the 10-year mark running his BJJ academy. CJ breaks down what actually keeps an academy owner in the game a decade in, how jiu jitsu training methodology has evolved over the past 10 years (and where the "let them work" mentality came from), how to coach white belts and women so they don't quit, and the #1 attribute every great BJJ coach needs.

The conversation also gets into the personality side of running an academy — why some people probably shouldn't be coaches at all, why patience and communication matter more than technique when it comes to retention, what CJ would tell himself 10 years ago about losing core members, how to pick your rolls and keep your body in one piece as an owner on the mat every day, and the red flags students should watch for when picking a jiu jitsu academy.

If you run a BJJ academy, are thinking about opening one, or want an honest look at what a full decade of academy ownership actually feels like — this one's for you.

JP Levesque is the founder of Grow Jitsu. He helps BJJ academy owners clean up their business model, student journey, and simple owner-run marketing so they can grow past the 80–150 student ceiling without selling out the art or burning out.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro: 10 years in the game with CJ Hollett

01:00 – What keeps you going a decade later

02:30 – How jiu jitsu training has evolved

04:30 – The rise of the "let them work" mentality

05:55 – Coaching white belts so they don't quit

08:20 – The #1 attribute of a great coach

10:20 – Why some people shouldn't be coaches at all

11:50 – Proudest moments after 10 years of ownership

12:40 – How to keep your body in one piece as an owner

15:00 – Red flags in an academy

17:20 – Green flags of a good academy

19:00 – What CJ would tell himself 10 years ago

21:30 – Why losing a core member never stops hurting

22:30 – Advice for anyone opening an academy today

25:00 – Who actually sticks with it long-term

28:00 – Belt promotions and how to structure them

34:30 – Teaching structure: curriculum vs. organic

37:00 – Merch, gis, and not forcing students to buy yours

39:00 – How to make a new student feel like part of the team

Want help applying this to your academy? Book a free BJJ Growth Plan Call: https://growjitsu.com/call

Most BJJ academy owners think the answer to growth is hiring a marketing agency. They skip straight to paid ads and end up on the agency treadmill — burning thousands a month for leads they can't convert.

In this episode of The Business of Jiu Jitsu, JP Levesque breaks down the 7 levels of marketing every academy owner should be running before they spend a dollar on paid ads. Starting with the work nobody talks about — buying into your own business as the CEO — and building out through staff buy-in, student retention, referrals, your physical location, B2B relationships inside a one-mile radius, and a strong local online presence (website, SEO, Google reviews, blogs, AI search).

The episode also covers the prerequisite most academies miss: getting churn under 5% before paid ads can ever pay back. Plus the agency treadmill math ($4,000 a month = 23.5 sign-ups just to break even) and why learning to run your own ads beats hiring an agency for almost every BJJ academy.

If you're a BJJ academy owner stuck around 80–150 students, this is the foundational episode on academy marketing — what to do, in what order, and what to fix first.

About the host:JP Levesque is the founder of Grow Jitsu. He helps BJJ academy owners clean up their business model, student journey, and simple owner-run marketing so they can grow past the 80–150 student ceiling without selling out the art or burning out.

Timestamps:00:00 – Why most owners skip straight to paid ads02:30 – Level 1: You (your buy-in as the CEO)05:00 – Level 2: Your staff07:00 – Level 3: Your students (5–7x cheaper to keep than acquire)12:00 – Level 4: Referrals14:30 – Level 5: Physical location16:50 – Level 6: B2B19:00 – Level 7: Online presence (website, Google, reviews, blogs, AI search)26:30 – The prerequisite: churn under 5%31:30 – The agency treadmill story ($4K/month math)33:50 – Why running your own ads beats hiring an agency36:00 – How to get help

Want help applying this to your academy? Book a free BJJ Growth Plan Call: https://growjitsu.com/call

AI for Jiu-Jitsu Academy Owners What's Actually Useful Right Now

!!Warning!! I had so many thoughts about AI and business and you did so during this episode. It took me three or four takes to record it. So it's not as streamlined as I would like. I will do an AI update in the future, but I think is a point of reference, it's a good place to start, even if it is a little bit jumbled.

AI is moving fast and the noise is loud. This episode cuts through it. JP breaks down the real state of AI, what it can and can't do for you as an academy owner, and exactly where to invest your time right now so you're ahead of the curve, not chasing it.

In this episode:

• Where AI actually is right now, and why most people are still using it like a chatbot
• Why domain expertise matters: AI is only as useful as the context you give it
• Why you're needed more than ever , and why demand for what you do is only going up
• The difference between AI bolt-ons and AI-first tools, and what's coming to gym management software
• Why human touch points aren't going anywhere, and which ones you should protect
• The master prompt concept: going from stranger to context-rich collaborator instantly
• How to build skills inside Claude, email copywriter, ads analyst, social media manager, and why that's the best use of your time right now
• The Cowork feature and what it means to have AI working inside your actual files and folders
• Why blogs are making a comeback, and how AI search makes local SEO more important than ever
• The marketing foundation stack: good product → good business model → internal marketing → win local search → paid ads. In that order.
• Why churn under 5% is the real unlock before anything else makes sense

Want to know exactly where your academy is stuck and what to fix first?

Book a free 45-minute Growth Plan Call. JP will look at your numbers, map out where you're stuck, and tell you exactly what to do next. Link below.

https://link.growjitsu.com/widget/bookings/bjj-growth-plan-call

Why Marketing Agencies Don't Work for Jiu-Jitsu Academies

Almost every academy owner JP talks to has tried a marketing agency. Most of them got burned. This episode breaks down exactly why, and what you should be doing instead.

In this episode:

• Why "50 students in 50 days" promises are flat-out lies, and why agencies keep making them
• What agencies actually do (hint: it's just top of funnel) and why that's not enough
• The real math: paying $1,500–$2,500/month in retainer plus ad spend when you're doing $10-12K MRR is a losing equation
• Why cold Meta traffic is so much harder to convert than referrals or Google leads
• The retention problem that makes agencies pointless, if you're losing 5 students and gaining 5, you're at net zero
• Why the leads problem is real, but the churn problem is bigger
• What a proper onboarding and nurture system actually looks like when you own it yourself
• Running your own Meta ads as a learnable skill, and why it's worth the 15–20 hours to figure it out
• The skill gaps and systems gaps that agencies will never fix for you
• The big caveat: ads work, agencies are the problem

Want to know exactly what systems and skills your academy is missing to see consistent growth?

Click thelink below to book a free 30 min growth audit, we'll look at the numbers, find out where you are stuck and make a plan to move you forward - https://link.growjitsu.com/widget/bookings/bjjgrowthengineaudit

How to Hire (and Fire) for Your BJJ Academy

If a coach is costing you students, that coach needs to go. Doesn't matter how many medals they have. This episode is JP's full breakdown on staffing your academy, who to hire, when to hire them, and how to run a process that doesn't blow up in your face.

In this episode:

• Why toxic, overly strict, or incompetent coaches are a retention killers and why academy owners keep them anyway
• The exit interview move that tells you exactly why students are leaving
• Who your first hire should be (and it's probably not who you think)
• Staffing by revenue stage: under 70 students, 10–20K, 20–30K, and beyond
• Why fewer coaches with more hours usually beats a big part-time roster
• The friction concept applied to hiring — how many hoops is the right amount
• Why asking for a video submission in your job post is one of the best screens you can run
• Do's and don'ts: hiring for attitude first, defining the role on paper, running trial shifts, giving early feedback
• Red flags and green flags to watch for in the interview process
• The GWC screen from Traction, do they Get it, Want it, and have the Capacity to do it?

Want help building the operating system for your academy?

JP will look at your numbers and tell you exactly where you're stuck and what to fix. Link below.

https://link.growjitsu.com/widget/bookings/bjjgrowthengineaudit

The Simplicity of Growing Your Academy

Summary

Growing a gym isn't complicated, but it does require you to actually develop the skills. In this episode, JP breaks down the two levers every academy owner needs to master: retention and marketing. Most gyms aren't stuck because they lack leads. They're stuck because they're bleeding students out the back door while ignoring the fundamentals. Until you fix that, more marketing is just pouring water into a leaky bucket.

This episode walks through a practical, no-BS framework — fix your retention first, raise your prices, then put that money into ads you run yourself. It's simple. Not easy. But it works.

Key Topics

• Why retention is always the first thing to fix — and what "doing more" actually looks like
• The Committed Club: using attendance-based incentives to keep students engaged
• At-risk attendance tracking and why a simple phone call changes everything
• Onboarding as a retention tool — the 30/60/90 day student journey
• How a 15–20% price increase funds your marketing budget
• Why you should run your own ads instead of paying an agency
• The 20-hour rule: how long it actually takes to get competent at a new skill
• Putting CEO time in your calendar every week — and why it's non-negotiable

Ready to grow your academy?Book a free 30-minute Growth Engine Audit — JP will look at your numbers and tell you exactly where you're stuck and what to fix. Link below.

https://link.growjitsu.com/widget/bookings/bjjgrowthengineaudit

Summary

In this episode of the Business of Jiu Jitsu Podcast, JP Levesque breaks down a real-world case study to show how academy owners can use their numbers to actually grow their business. Instead of guessing what to fix next, this episode walks through how to interpret your metrics, set realistic targets, and make better decisions based on what’s actually happening inside your gym.

JP covers how to reduce churn, improve conversions, and reverse engineer your growth goals using simple math. If you’ve ever felt stuck or unsure what lever to pull next, this episode gives you a clear, practical framework to move forward with confidence.

Key Topics

• How to read your gym’s numbers and understand your true growth potential

• Why churn is one of the most important metrics (and how to reduce it)

• Improving lead → trial → member conversion rates

• Cost per lead vs cost to acquire a customer (CAC)

• Using Google reviews to build local trust and authority

• Simple, consistent marketing strategies that actually work

• Reverse engineering growth targets using real data

• Onboarding and communication strategies to improve retention

• Community events and engagement to reduce drop-off

• Setting realistic expectations for growth (120–150 students and beyond)

• Balancing growth with sustainability and avoiding burnout

Resources & Links

Want help identifying what to fix in your academy and building a clear plan for growth?

Book a free Growth Engine Audit here:
https://link.growjitsu.com/widget/bookings/bjjgrowthengineaudit